2009: What are you changing?

I posted a list of my 2009 goals on my other blog, Use Your Cents. I wanted to share them with as many people as possible, so you can hold me accountable! Here they are:

2009 GOALS
My blog friend, Phoebe, at Cents to Get Debt-Free has challenged her readers to post their goals for 2009, so here goes! I will try to give my readers an update at the end of each month (for my own accountability).

Spiritually

• To set aside specific time alone with God each day, in prayer
• To read through the entire Bible in 2009; I have made this easier on myself by purchasing a copy of The One Year Bible that our church was selling recently. It has daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
• To keep up with my prayer notebook, to make sure I'm specifically praying for each prayer request
• Put my full faith in God and know that He will not fail me!
• Pray for our government and nation on a daily basis

Financially
This is a tough area for me right now, because I will be a "full-time" student within the next few weeks. I'm not exactly sure what sort of income I will be able to generate. I have filed for financial aid, and we are planning to take out student loans for my school. Grand total should be no more than $10k. We've discussed our options, and this fits best for us. Anything that student loans and my income do not cover, we may have to charge on our credit card (i.e. health insurance that we will lose when I leave my job). While we are not at all excited about this, we are trying to work our way around it. But no matter what, I know that I am finally following God's plan for my life, and it will all be fine!

• Continue to contribute no less than $15 weekly to our high interest savings account
• Continue to pay an additional $30 per month towards my car note
• Keep grocery budget at or below $50 weekly = $2,600 yearly
• Find a carpool buddy for my school commute, if possible
• Find a part-time job that I love :) and that works with my school schedule, and possibly offers tuition reimbursement
• Reduce my cell phone plan to a lower plan, since I don't need the internet on it anymore
• Sell my used nursing books online to earn money back
• Create an efficient method for organizing coupons
• Donate any unused items to a charitable organization on a monthly basis
• Track all money spent and saved

Home

• Paint kitchen and hallway
• Keep pantry organized throughout the year
• Adhere to the cleaning schedule we've created
• Create my own area in the office for couponing and studying
• Purchase stockpile of toilet paper, paper towels, and other everyday items and designate a place for their storage
• Purchase food staples for stockpile and designate a place for their storage
• Watch no more than 6 hours of television per week
• Keep cars washed and maintained
• Paint front porch and front door
• Keep closets organized
• Plant and maintain garden (and have successful growth!)
• Have at least one hour every night of play/family time
• Hang laundry to dry during warm months
• Maintain a weekly meal plan

Personal

• Participate in at least one local mission ministry per quarter (the one's I'm thinking of so far are Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Jimmy Hale Missions, and a local event we have in our town)
• Commit to a serious workout routine, involving cardiovascular and light weight training activities
• Spend at least 6-8 hours each week studying for school
• Arrive at least 10 minutes early for everything (this one might be a toughie!)
• Maintain my 4.0 GPA
• Become happier with my appearance
• Do not take things to heart; this is hard for me sometimes especially when I think someone is blatantly being mean
• Update my blog on every one to two days (for my readers!)
• Wrap all birthday presents for children in wrapping paper (no gift bags)
• Have all Christmas presents purchased no later than December 4, 2009
• Read at least one non-school-related book per month
• Have a date night every month (with my spouse!); this can be a pizza and movie rental night, just so long as we have a date night
• Practice random acts of kindness

I know this looks like a long list, but these are not all things that we will have to do on a daily basis. Some are monthly, some are yearly. But these are my goals, nonetheless. I would love to see your goals! I'll post my first update to this at the end of January! We're a week in, and so far, so good!